


12 Monkeys Theme Week - Day 5 - Insurance

by pirategirljack



Category: 12 Monkeys (TV)
Genre: 12 Monkeys Theme Week, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-23
Updated: 2015-04-23
Packaged: 2018-03-25 10:59:30
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 897
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3807868
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pirategirljack/pseuds/pirategirljack
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Cassie doesn't want anything like this to happen again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	12 Monkeys Theme Week - Day 5 - Insurance

“We have to at least try!” Cassie threw her hands up in the air and did her best not to throw something, but he was being stubborn and it was scaring her. He’d never turned that wall of solid denial against her before; it was always for her, with her. Against everyone else.

“It won’t work again.” He said, his voice low and calm and unarguable. “It’s already done its work. I’m healed. It almost killed me. There’s nothing more it could do.”

“Don’t say that. You’re still the same person, he’s still the same person. You’re still from different times. It’ll work again.”

Cole moved closer, hunkered down to look her in the eye, and she lifted her chin defiantly to make him readjust. She loved when he got close and intense like this, but not when he was being an idiot. “You never went back, Cassie. I’d have remembered that.”

“I can go back now. Following the script has gotten us nowhere.”

“Cass. Don’t.”

And in that moment, she decided to lie to him, for the first time. “Fine,” she said. “Fine, I won’t. I have to go to work.” She brushed past him, grabbed her coat and her bag, tried to leave without looking at him, because he’d see the lie if she did, but he caught her hand and pulled her back. It sent a tingle up her arm–he so rarely took her hand; it was like he didn’t know how.

“Cass. It’s for the best. You know that.”

He swallowed, schooled her expression. “I know.”

Cole’s face softened, and he brushed her hair out of her eyes, let his fingertips linger on her jaw, behind her ear. A whole new constellation of longings and trembles curled through her stomach and her heart. They were together now–or soon would be. She shouldn’t be lying to him.

But she also shouldn’t be letting him kill himself. There were no do-overs these days.

It must’ve shown on her face. She never did have a good control over things like that.

“Cass–”

“I have to go.” And she did, quickly, before he could stop her. He stood in the door, watching her leave, scowling until she was out of view, but he didn’t chase her down or anything. He could have.

As soon as she was on the road, she called work an told them she’d be a little late, and detoured to the orphanage.

They’d had the prethought to have her and Jones listed among the few people who were allowed access to Cole-the-child; she got strange looks–she could practically hear them all wondering “why doesn’t she just adopt him?”–but no one stopped her.

“I don’t want to go with you again,” he said, so young and small, but already developing that scowl his older self had perfected. “I’m staying with Ramse.”

Her heart chipped a little. But she wasn’t going to bother him with that particular story. “I just need to take some more blood. Then you’ll never see me again.”

“That’s not true,” he said. “Don’t lie. I can tell when you lie.”

She tried to smile. The scowl was still there, but he held out his arm. “Okay, I’ll leave now, and it’ll be a long time before you see me again.”

He didn’t answer. She filled two vials, and gave him a snack so he wouldn’t feel dizzy.

“Goodbye, James.”

“I’m Cole now.”

“Cole.”

She went to leave, but he moved suddenly and wrapped his arms around her waist, squeezing tight. “I’ll see you soon,” he said.

She almost fell apart right there.

Work was a blur of cataloging and testing, notating and researching, an she couldn’t keep her mind on any of it. She dreaded going home. But she couldn’t not–she had to. They were a team.

Cole, the adult one, met her at the door, opening it before she could get her key in the lock. He didn’t look mad–and her heart turned over in relief and shame–but he also didn’t smile or hug her.

“You went. I remember now.”

“I had to.”

“I know.” A pause, then, “Where is it?”

“In a fridge at work, labeled as inconspicuously as possible. No one will bother it and we can get it if we need it.”

“Cassie. You shouldn’t have changed the timeline.”

“It’s only a small change.”

“We can’t know that.”

“I couldn’t let you die, if there was any way to save you. You of all people should understand that.”

He was quiet for a long time. She sad on the edge of the motel bed, didn’t even take her coat off, and mourned what she lost because she wanted to save him–and didn’t realize he was coming up beside her until he sat down, too, hip to hip, and twined his arm around her shoulders. He kissed the side of her head and she burst into tears–not for long, she wasn’t the sobbing sort, but she hadn’t realized how upset she was until he forgave her. And all the knots in her stomach and chest released all at once.

“It’s okay,” he said. “I’m still me. Maybe it didn’t change anything. We’re still here.”

“Not much of a happy ending.”

“Our happy ending is that we get to keep fighting. We’re both alive. Let’s keep it that way.”

**Author's Note:**

> Originally part of 12 Monkeys Theme Week:  
> http://samiholloway.tumblr.com/post/116027033397/12-monkeys-theme-week-day-5-finale-wishlist-4


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